What Started the Red Bull Power Struggle That Led to Christian Horner’s Sacking?

However, after a dispute over the driver line-up, the two understood that they needed complete control over a team. Thus, in 2005, Red Bull Racing was created after an acquisition of the Jaguar F1 team. Christian Horner was appointed as team principal at the age of 25, making him the youngest team boss in Formula 1.

Over the years, Mateschitz managed to maintain a fine balance between the two power centers of Christian Horner and Helmut Marko within Milton Keynes. While Horner was essentially given a free-hand over the racing operations, Marko was responsible for running the driver program. The two worked in-sync, with Red Bull achieving incredible success with star drivers like Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen.

However, after the unfortunate death of Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022, things changed completely. Christian Horner reportedly tried to yield more influence within the team as Helmut Marko lost his biggest backer. Red Bull’s Austrian owners hoped to find a new balance to continue the team’s operations, but things only became worse.

Christian Horner’s inappropriate behavior investigation destroyed his image

In early 2024, a female Red Bull employee accused Christian Horner of inappropriate behavior. The 51-year-old persistently denied all allegations. However, tensions escalated within the team. Max Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen demanded Horner’s exit, claiming that the team was on the verge of falling apart. Red Bull GmbH was forced to intervene with an independent investigation.

Christian Horner was cleared of all wrongdoings by the investigation. But the damage was done. Big names within the team were no longer happy with the Briton’s leadership. Aero genius Adrian Newey, who joined Red Bull because of Horner, announced his exit mid-way through 2024. Other key personnel who left the team include Rob Marshall and Jonathan Wheatley.

It seemed that Horner could lose his position after this incident. Luckily for the 51-year-old, Red Bull’s Thai shareholder, Chalerm Yoovidhya stood firmly by the team principal, allowing him to continue his role.

Max Verstappen’s uncertain future became the final nail in the coffin

Christian Horner managed to avoid public scrutiny over the course of 2024 as Max Verstappen successfully defended the world championship. While Red Bull was losing out to McLaren, the Dutchman still managed to clinch a fourth title in a row. This was nothing short of a sigh of relief for Horner, as good results ensured he could continue leading the team.

Unfortunately, 2025 has been nothing short of a disaster for Red Bull. Milton Keynes is nowhere close to the front of the pack with Verstappen outdriving the car to win two races. On the other hand, the second car, first driven by Liam Lawson, then by Yuki Tsunoda, has only scored seven points.

Rumors kept surfacing over Max Verstappen’s future. It was believed that the reigning world champion was flirting with the idea of joining Mercedes for next season. Christian Horner’s leadership was a major drawback for the Verstappen camp, who allegedly demanded the removal of the Briton.

While Max Verstappen’s management has made it clear that the Dutchman had no role in Horner’s exit, it seems that such a possibility was the trigger point for this decision. Red Bull understood that it could no longer allow Christian Horner to stay at the team when it was losing key personnel left, right, and center.

Red Bull now starts a new era with a new team principal. Laurent Mekies has been promoted from Racing Bulls to lead Milton Keynes. Mekies has a tough job on his hands. Not only must he ensure that Verstappen stays for next year, but also work upon fixing underlying performance issues with the car. Certainly, F1 fans are set to witness some interesting times at the Austrian team in the coming months.